best tips to stay focused at work

September 10, 2015

You have all the intentions to get that task done and move on to the next thing, yet somehow the day flies by and you haven’t accomplished much. Sounds familiar? There can be countless number of distractions at the office starting from loud noise, interruptions or getting lost in your inbox. Managing your time right and being effective does take a lot of persistence and changing habits.

It may sound like a challenge to eliminate distractions especially if you work in a big, open office. I’ve been there. I started to work on a report at 10:00AM and I realized at 3:00PM that I wasn’t done as I did a million things in between that needed immediate attention (or so I thought). It took me some “self training” to be more efficient and develop the best tips to stay focused at work.

1. avoid email for dedicated periods

Email is important and for many of us that inbox is our to do list. However checking your inbox and responding to emails constantly during the day does take time away from projects. Dedicate time slots for checking your emails and respond to the ones that can be handled right away. Work on your emails, organize and prioritize them first thing in the morning. Check again before lunch and twice more throughout the afternoon. Once your brain is trained that there are certain time frames and only so much time to work through your emails, you will be much more efficient.

2. dedicate time slots for your staff to come with questions

If you’re a manager and oversee the day-to-day operations, then you may well end up with constant distractions. If you allow your staff to interrupt you every time they have a question, you won’t get anything done. Assign time slots for your team when they can come to you to go over any questions they have. Weekly staff meetings and dedicated times spent with discussing questions will increase your productivity immensely. This was one of the best tips for me to stay focused at work.

3. get on the hate to do list

Don’t wait until the last day before that deadline! Get on it now! This is one of those things that bugs you, holds you back without you even realizing it. Call that tough client. Start on that long proposal. Once you start, you will immediately feel relieved and you can stay focused better.

4. take short mental breaks

This is important especially when you work on a large project. Give your brain short mental breaks every 45 minutes. Whether it be to walk to the water-cooler, chat with a colleague, or check email for three to five minutes, do it. The point is to give your little grey cells a short break.

5. eat snacks that release glucose slowly

Choose your snacks wisely. Glucose, which is produced when our food breaks down, keeps our brains awake and alert. Quick-release carbohydrates such as pretzels, popcorn, or doughnuts cause a sharp rise and decline in your blood sugar levels, only keeping you alert for a few minutes. Slow-release carbs will keep your blood sugar levels stabler, allowing you to stay focused longer. Keep some fresh fruit, nuts, oatmeal and quinoa handy to stay alert.

6. prioritize your tasks

The first couple of hours at work is where you are most productive. So put all the difficult and challenging tasks on your agenda during the first hour. Follow these with the less pressing work, and then end with those routine tasks that you find boring.

I think prioritizing and talking a few moments to get up and walk around the floor or eat lunch helps me stay focused throughout the day

michellespaige.com

http://www.pumpsandpushups.com/ Brooke & Erica

Getting on that hate to do list is definitely something I need to focus on because I always put things off that I don’t like to do until the last minute but once I finally tackle these things it’s never as bad as I had made it to be in my mind. Great tips!!

These are also great tips for staying focused at work. I definitely need to work on getting on that hate to do list because most of the work that tends to pile up for me is the projects I’ve been avoiding.